Syrian refugees try to stay warm near open fires in front of their unheated tents in a refugee camp in the town of Harmanli, Bulgaria, on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013.

Written by

Ben McCall
Special to The Desert Sun

This is the time of year when pundits like to ruminate over the highlights, and lowlights, of the previous year and prognosticate for the coming year. Here are my best predictions for 2014 and beyond.

1. Egypt will continue with the process of becoming a moderate Muslim country with a valid constitution and a democratically elected government. However, the process will be muddy with more lives lost as extremists try to protest over the ouster of Mohamed Morsi and his sham democracy. In the end, Egypt will once again retain its historical position as a positive anchor for the Arab world. ...